Around 400 Blackpool NHS staff still unjabbed

Mandatory vaccinations are due to come into force for all patient-facing NHS staff from April, , subject to the passage of the regulations through Parliament.

Around five cent of staff at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (BTH) remain unjabbed according to hospital records, which is around 400 people, according to figures given to a meeting of the board of directors.

Of those, analysis shows 95 are nursing staff.

Letters had previously been sent out to 800 unvaccinated hospital staff urging them to get their Covid jabs.

But despite the pleas, many NHS staff are still refusing to come forward for a vaccine, and the Trust had received some responses, in the form of a standardised letter, challenging the requirement for a vaccine.

Peter Murphy, director of nursing at BTH, said: “With the intent of these letters, it appears as though some people are still adamant that they will not receive the vaccine.”

But he said since the government had issued its mandate, “there has been a large number of people presenting for their first jabs.”

The options for staff who refuse a vaccination include being redeployed into roles away from services where they directly care for patients, or they will face dismissal.

The meeting was told the hospital trust would follow national guidance when it came to the dismissal process and a consistent approach was expected by all hospital trusts in the region when it came to dealing with non-vaccinated staff.

This included the adoption of a process to handle applications to be exempt from having a vaccine.

The Trust could also consider whether future contracts of employment would require staff agreeing to have the Covid vaccination.

* ​Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here